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 Today's Congressional Action:
The House is not in session. The Senate is expected to consider non-Arctic legislation.
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 The Center for Arctic Study and Policy (CASP) at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy seeks a Visiting Professor of Arctic Studies for a two-year teaching/research fellowship position. The successful applicant will deliver Arctic-related undergraduate courses, seminars, or other academic instruction at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy; develop and conduct rigorous academic social science, law and/or policy based research on Arctic-specific issues; serve as a faculty co-advisor to undergraduate advanced research projects; and advise on curricular development in the areas of Arctic studies and policy, to address challenges and opportunities in the evolving Arctic and maritime environment that are vital to the national interests of the US. The application deadline is August 19, 2015. For more information see here.
Native Alaskans Study and Clean Up a Legacy of Pollution. America's Far North cherishes its image of wild purity in a landscape so vast it can sometimes seem barely touched by people. But the roughly 600 military installations across Alaska - some dating from World War II, others built during the Cold War - tell a different story, in polluted sites that were never fully cleaned up, and the related health problems that have lingered and festered. Bases and listening posts scattered from the far northern tundra to remotest atolls of the Aleutian Islands used or stockpiled cleaning solvents and pesticides, chemical warfare agents and unexploded ordnance. Some was left behind in remote or unpopulated areas when geopolitical tensions eased and bases were abandoned, others were merely fenced off with signs and warnings. New York Times
 Healy Crew Cruises Between Arctic Missions. It's been two days since the only U.S. ship deployed above the Arctic Circle each summer has left the ice, and no one aboard is wearing red. The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy has just left the Chukchi Sea, dropped off a team of scientists in Nome and is sailing through the Aleutians to its next stop in Seward. Cruising at about 15 knots, the trip will take about five days. No one aboard is supposed to wear red out of respect for a tradition that only allows the color to be worn when the vessel is sailing above the Arctic Circle. (Sailors, scientists and journalists who have done so are hazed into this privileged group, the Order of the Blue Nose, with a secret ceremony.) Alaska Dispatch News
No Record-Low Arctic Ice Extent Expected This Year, But Melt Still Significant. Arctic sea extent is trending low and this year's melt may erase much of the newer ice that built up in 2013, a rebound year that followed the record-low melt of 2012. But it's highly unlikely that a new record low will be reached this year, the Guardian reported. The Guardian report is based on analysis by Neven Acropolis, who maintains the detailed Arctic Sea Ice blog. That analysis describes a relatively slow Arctic sea ice melt for the month of June, compared to recent years, followed by a notably rapid ice melt in July, driven by extremely warm Arctic temperatures. Alaska Dispatch News
Arctic Sea Floor to be Mapped by Sonar for Safer Shipping. The [Canadian] federal government says it's making safety improvements for northern shipping following an audit last year that found mapping services to be lacking. The government announced Friday that $22 million will be spent over five years to improve the safety of marine transportation in the Arctic. A news release says some of the money is to buy and install four multi-beam sonar systems aboard Canadian Coast Guard icebreakers for sea-floor surveying. An audit by Canada's environment commissioner in 2014 noted the area has been "inadequately surveyed and charted," with some Arctic maps dating back to the early 1970s. The report noted that growth in marine shipping in the Arctic has meant a spike in demand for more accurate, detailed surveys and maps. Hellenic Shipping News
 Federal Science, Tech Announcements Hone in on Canada's Arctic. With the writ expected to drop in just a few days, Canada has been seeing a frenzy of federal government funding and policy announcements this week, squeezed in before the prime minister calls an election. A chunk of the hundreds of millions of dollars pledged to projects across the country will go towards developments in science and technology. For years, the Conservative government has been accused of muzzling federal scientists. In 2012, scientists held a mock funeral on Parliament to mourn what they called the death of evidence, including cuts to federal science programs. CBC News
Laval University Gets $100M from Ottawa to Study Effects of Arctic Climate Change. Laval University in Quebec City has received a $98 million federal grant - its biggest subsidy to date - to continue a research project on the North. However, an environmental group said that doesn't make up for the hundreds of millions of dollars cut by Ottawa in funding to scientific research over the years. The university's Sentinelle Nord program studies the impact of climate change on the Arctic by looking at different facets of the environment, from animal populations to mining. CBC News
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Legislative Action
No Arctic legislation was formally considered Friday.
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Future Events
Industry Needs for Seasonal and Sub-seasonal Sea Ice Information and Predictions, August 11, 2015 (Webinar AKDT). Sea Ice Prediction Network webinar will provide a brief overview of contrasts and commonalities between sea ice variables relevant for geophysical or climate research and those relevant for operational needs in Arctic seas. For more information, contact Betsy Turner-Bogren at ARCUS (betsy@arcus.org).
The Alaska Arctic: A Summit on Shipping and Ports, August 23-25, 2015 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). Alice Rogoff will host the summit along with the state of Alaska and various partners, including President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson of Iceland and Mead Treadwell, president of Pt Capital and former Alaska lieutenant governor. The purpose of the meeting is to build partnerships to develop safe and reliable shipping through the Alaskan Arctic. These partnerships will be necessary to finance needed ports of refuge, search and rescue equipment, transshipment facilities and icebreakers. At the same time, the interests of local and indigenous residents must be an integral part of any development planning.
104th Meeting of the USARC, August 25-26, 2015 (Nome, AK, USA).
USARC (Fran Ulmer, Chair) will hold its next meeting in Nome, where Ulmer will present the 2015-2017 Goals Report. The Commission will tour the new, light icebreaker vessel R/V Sikuliaq in the Nome port, and will hear from local researchers on topics such as health, social science, marine science, marine mammal co-management research, federal research, renewable energy, climate shipping, port development, and water and sanitation, among other topics. A draft agenda is here.
Eighth Polar Law Symposium Alaska 2015, September 23-26, 2015 (Fairbanks and Anchorage, Alaska , USA). The Eighth Polar Law Symposium is co-hosted by Alaska Pacific University (APU), the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Alaska Anchorage (through its Justice Center and its Institute of Social and Economic Research), the University of Washington School of Law, and Vermont Law School, in cooperation with the Arctic Law Section of the Alaska Bar Association. The symposium will be held on both campuses of the University of Alaska. The 2015 theme is: The Science, Scholarship, and Practice of Polar Law: Strengthening Arctic Peoples and Places.
2015 Arctic Energy Summit, September 28-30, 2015 (Fairbanks, Alaska, USA). The Institute of the North's 2015 Arctic Energy Summit builds on our legacy efforts to address energy as a fundamental element of the sustainable development of the Arctic as a lasting frontier.Central to this concept is a focus on providing pathways for affordable energy development in the Arctic and for Arctic communities.
2015 Arctic Circle Assembly, October 16-18, 2015 (Reykjavik, Iceland).
The Arctic Circle is the largest global gathering on the Arctic. It is attended by heads of state and governments, ministers, members of parliament, officials, experts, scientists, entrepreneurs, business leaders, indigenous representatives, environmentalists, students, activists, and others from the growing international community of partners and participants interested in the future of the Arctic. The Arctic Circle highlights issues and concerns, programs, policies and projects; it provides platforms for dynamic dialogue and constructive cooperation. While the plenary sessions are the responsibility of the Arctic Circle, the breakout sessions are organized by various participating partners in their own name and with full authority over the agenda and the choice of speakers.
2015 Arctic Science Conference, October 1-3, 2015 (Anchorage, Alaska, USA). The conference theme is "Healthy Estuaries: Sustainability and Resilience." Conference topics include traditional scientific disciplines, science education, arctic social sciences, biomedical research, and artistic interpretation of the evolving North. Abstract submissions are now being accepted. The deadline is August 1, 2015.
The Polar Oceans and Global Climate Change, November 3-6, 2015 (La Jolla, California USA). The American Polar Society will host this Symposium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. A flyer with a partial list of presenters is available on the Society's website (americanpolar.org) and from the Society's Membership Chairman by email.
Forum for Arctic Modeling and Observational Synthesis Meeting, November 3-6, 2015 (Cape Cod, MA, USA). On November 3rd, the 2015 School for young scientists will consider "Regional Oceanography of the Arctic marginal seas" with lectures covering major features of atmospheric, sea ice and oceanographic regimes of the: Bering, Chukchi, Beaufort, East-Siberian, Laptev Sea, Kara, Barents and Nordic seas. On November 4-6, the meeting portion will summarize project accomplishments for the last 3 years of activities and will focus on the formulation of scientific questions and directions for FAMOS future research (2016-2019) to: (a) improve Arctic modeling, employing very high resolution models; (b) develop and test new arctic monitoring/observing systems and (c) improve predictions of Arctic environmental parameters with reduced uncertainties.
Due North: Next Generation Arctic Research & Leadership, November 5-8, 2015 (Calgary, Alberta, Canada). The Association of Canadian Universities for Northern Studies (ACUNS) will convene an interdisciplinary conference of early career scientists working on Arctic issues. Topics will include: Arctic Communities, Arctic Sustainable Development, Arctic Wildlife, Ecosystem and Biodiversity, Arctic Food Security, Arctic Landscapes, Climate Change and Adaptation, Disaster Risk Management, Policy, Politics and Leadership, Arctic Environment (Data and Techniques), Arctic Resources, and Future of Arctic.
Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting, November 17-19, 2015 (Seattle, Washington). The Arctic Observing Open Science Meeting will be 2.5 days and held at the Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle, Washington. The conference will bring together individuals and teams involved in the collection, processing, analysis, and use of observations in the Arctic - from academia, agencies, industry, and other organizations. The meeting will be convened as a combination of plenary talks, parallel science sessions, and a poster session. The agenda and registration information will be forthcoming.
In the Spirit of the Rovaniemi Process 2015, November 24-26, 2015 (Rovaniemi, Lapland, Finland).When the Arctic Environmental Protection Strategy, the so-called Rovaniemi Process, was adopted in 1991, it aimed at overcoming divisions and turning the zone of Cold War military tensions into a region of peace and co-operation. In this joint effort focusing on the protection of environment, and later, sustainable development, the Arctic states supported by indigenous organizations laid grounds for institutionalized collaboration and the emergence of Arctic regional identity. The second international conference will bring together decision-makers, scholars, artists, designers and students to address these questions and discuss the Arctic in global, regional and local perspectives.
Arctic Science Summit Week Arctic Observing Summit, March 12-18, 2016 (Fairbanks, AK, USA). ASSW is the annual gathering of international organizations that support and facilitate long-term planning in Arctic research. In 2016, ASSW will be held in conjunction with AOS, which brings people together to facilitate the design, implementation, coordination and sustained long-term operation of an international network of Arctic observing systems.
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External links in this publication, and on the USARC's World Wide Web site ( www.arctic.gov) do not constitute endorsement by the US Arctic Research Commission of external Web sites or the information, products or services contained therein. For other than authorized activities, the USARC does not exercise any editorial control over the information you may find at these locations. These links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this newsletter and the USARC Web site.
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